1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to saddle trees on which saddles may be built. These saddles are usually used by riders or horses.
2. Description of the prior art
The art of making saddle trees is a very old traditional art which has not changed greatly with the advent of modern technology. Of course, some improvements have been made.
For example, a saddle tree, i.e., the frame work around which a saddle is built has traditionally been made from wood, preferably beech wood. The head, i.e., the front raised part of the saddle and the gullet, i.e., the arch under the head, are strengthened with steel plates and there is also steel reinforcement laid on the underside of the tree from the head towards the cantle, i.e., the back raised part of the saddle. Between the head and the cantle the saddle tree narrows as the waist. Points, i.e., downwardly extending arms from the head, extend downwardly to lodge behind the shoulder blades of the horse.
When a saddle is built on a saddle tree the rider sits with his or her seat bones on the seat between the saddle tree waist and the cantle. The rider's legs extend downwardly on either side of the horse approximately from the saddle tree waist.
The terms "head", "gullet", "waist", "cantle", "points" and "seat" are all conventional terms of the saddlery art and are used in their normal conventional meanings in this specification.
Although a saddle tree is traditionally made of beechwood, many modern trees are now made of laminated wood bonded under pressure and formed in a mold. The laminated tree combines greater strength than beech wood with lightness but laminated wood may break when subjected to undue strains or when subjected to impact.
In order to obtain any appreciable resistance in the resulting saddle it is important that the framework be an open framework to allow for bending movement in the tree. Such bending movement is regulated by the springs. Rigid trees are possible but are undesirable. A rigid tree formed as a solid structure would be very heavy. For both laminated wood trees and beech wood trees, webbing may be tightly stretched across the open framework in the region where the rider will sit to form a firm base.
Even more recently universal nylon forms have become available. The saddler may use this to make various different shaped trees for similar forms. The nylon forms eliminate the need for webbing across the seat and are bendable, light and allow close contact of the rider with the horse's back.
These nylon forms are shaped by the saddler to the shape he requires by trimming and by the use of rigid gullet plates and/or head plates and by spring steel reinforcement which runs longitudinally from head to cantle. The gullet plate may be formed generally in the form of an arch the legs of which extend downwardly and rigidly into the points. The upper surface of the nylon base may be cushioned in various manners to make it comfortable for the rider.
The saddler must consider both the anatomy of the horse and the anatomy of the rider when making a saddle. Moreover, he must take into account the fact that, if the rider is to transmit body language messages to the horse, the rider must have close contact with the horse. Particular problems that are encountered are: